I attended a swap meet at the Puyallup Fairgrounds a couple of years ago. It was largely an auto parts event (after all, it was presented by the Galloping Gerties car club), but there were plenty of old and oddball items of interest scattered everywhere also.
The only thing I bought all day happened to be a camera that I never knew even existed until this nice old man started giving me the salesman schmooz. One of the items he held up was this Encore disposable camera from the 40's or 50's. Wait--what?! It's true--a disposable camera 80 years ago!
Here's a bit of info I found on the web:
The Encore Camera Company was listed at P.O. Box 28, Hollywood, California in the 1940's. The company made a line of disposable cardboard cameras which were to be returned to the company for film processing. The cameras were also given away as a promotion.The Encore Deluxe Camera was made by the Encore Camera Company in the 1940s and 50s. Designed as a disposable camera, the Encore Deluxe was constructed of cardboard and covered with paper. The paper covering is meant to look like leather. A front and rear set of viewfinders pull up for framing the photo. The camera was factory loaded with film and then after the user exposed the film, they would mail the whole camera back to the Encore Camera Company for processing. There is a slot on the bottom of the camera used for inserting a $1.25 for film processing and return shipping cost. The camera measures 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 5 inches. Since these were disposable cameras, they are hard to find.
Pretty unique, I must say. Here are some pictures of the one I bought, complete with the instructions and everything:
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